The sun filtered down through the tree leaves, and the little girl giggled with her father. “Daaaad! You’re so silly!” He patted her head and chuckled with her. “Dear Zaphina” Zaphina looked into his eyes and was instantly warmed. “Daddy, I love you!” She gave him a huge hug and he returned it. “Come Zaphina, let’s get you home.” “Ok Daddy!”
They walked back to their village, quite secluded from the rest of the world, just in time for dinner. The smells of every mother’s good cooking made Zaphina’s stomach grumble. Her father smiled at her and picked her up to carry her on his shoulders. Everyone in the street was friendly and waved to them.
When they got home her mother was standing at the little wood stove stirring the soup. She looked up and smiled at the both of them. “Well darlings, I’ve set up the table, go ahead and sit down.” Zaphina rushed over to the table and pulled out the chair for her father, then sat down in her own. “Well thank you Zaphina.” “You’re welcome Daddy.” She smiled at him not noticing her mother’s frown. “He is your father Zaphina and you should respect him enough to call him that.” Zaphina shuffled her feet and looked at the ground. “I’m sorry Mother.” Her father frowned at her mother and whispered to Zaphina, “Don’t listen to that cranky woman, you can call me whatever you like.” She smiled at him and nodded.
Zaphina’s mother came over to the table, set down the food, and started serving for everyone. After everyone had food, she sat down and asked Zaphina, “Have you been thinking about which tribal side to take?” Zaphina shuffled her feet under the table and refused to meet her mother’s eyes. “Now Zaphina, the time is coming to choose and you know which side I expect you to take.” Her father glares at her, “Go easy on her, Lithium; it’s a big decision for someone so young.” She sneered at him and put her nose in the air, “Well she needs to figure it out soon” Zaphina sat quietly and munched on her food. The rest of the meal passed in silence and Zaphina slipped off quietly to her room. She snuggled into her bed with the little ragdoll her father made her. “Lacy, what should I do?” Like every time Lacy only stared back into Zaphina’s face. She sighed and flipped on her back to go to sleep.
The next morning her mother woke her at dawn to gather vegetables. “Come Zaphina, we must go now so we will have plenty of time.” She rubbed her eyes and yawned “Ok Mommy.” She put on her shawl and grabbed her basket. When her mother wasn’t looking she snuck Lacy into the basket. “Come on, Zaphina, we haven’t got all day!” Her mother huffed. “I’m sorry Mother, I’m coming.”
As they were walking, her mother kept her eyes ahead, and almost never looked at Zaphina. Soon she was feeling out of breath. “Can we slow down Mommy?” She rolled her eyes, which Zaphina couldn’t see, and went noticeably slower. “Is that slow enough for you, Zaphina?” She clutched her basket and tried to walk faster to please her mother. They arrived at their personal garden, at the edge of the woods, a few minutes late, with Zaphina completely out of breath. She sat down on the ground to rest, but her mother cuffed her on the head and said, “What the hell are you sitting around for, hurry up and pick the vegetables!” She rushed over to the garden and started picking.
“No! Don’t put that in the basket, it a weed!”
“Stupid Zaphina, you’ll bruise the tomato is you pull it like that, and you’ll be the one eating it!”
“WATCH WHERE YOU STEP, YOU STUPID LITTLE GIRL!”
Zaphina was ready to burst into tears but she refused to let her mother see that and be satisfied. She wiped her eyes and tried to do better for her mother.
Soon they had enough food for tonight and tomorrow, “The basket is so heavy. Why did we pick so much anyway?” Zaphina thought. Neither she, nor her mother talked on the walk back to her home. Soon the village came into sight and Zaphina’s spirits were lifted “When we’re around Daddy, Mommy isn’t mean to me.” She started humming until her mother gave her a harsh look. “Stop that, Zaphina.” Zaphina kept her eyes on the ground and continued walking.
Soon the village came into view, and you could also see the large pillage of smoke rising from the clearing. Zaphina’s little heart began to race. “Oh no, what happened?” She started to walk faster, ignoring her mother’s calls to slow down. Soon she began to run, dropping the basket. She lifted her tattered skirts and ran as fast as she could.
The villagers were running out and the ones with powers that could help were trying to put out the fire. Zaphina ran down the dirt paths to her house. It was obviously the start of the fire, but somehow the inside wasn’t burnt, just the outside. She touched the door and found it surprisingly cool. Curious, she stuck her hand into the flame. It was so cold she screamed and pulled her hand back. Zaphina nursed her hand and went inside her home. Instantly she froze. The blood, it was everywhere. There seemed to be too much blood from just one person.
Over by the dinner table where just last night she had eaten, was a bloody pile of goo and flesh. Zaphina was so terrified that she couldn’t scream. She slowly climbed up the ladder to Daddy’s and Mommy’s room. There was the most blood. Huge splatters on the walls and even the ceiling. The bed, it looked as though Daddy had been dragged out and slid across the floor. There was a large smear on the floor as well as small chunks of flesh. She began to shake as she went back down. She tripped and fell face-first into the biggest glop of pulverized flesh. Zaphina could barely stand, she was shaking so much.
Suddenly she heard low laughter and looked around, still scared out of her wits. Up above her, was a female, unknown age, on the roof looking straight down at her.She was literately covered in blood, even her eyes were red. Zaphina finally screamed, high-pitched and long.
Her Mother frantically rushed in and stared at the blood everywhere. Then she shook her head, to clear it, and rushed over to Zaphina, picking her up. “Hush, Zaphina baby, it’s alright. Let’s get you out of here” She turned away, heading towards the door, and smiled before she walked out.